wise athletes podcast

Glen and I are joined today by Inspirational athlete, Triny Willerton, who is the founder of ItCouldBeMe (itcouldbeme.org), a non-profit on a mission to change the relationship between drivers and vulnerable users of the road by re-humanizing cyclists and creating a movement of mutual responsibility and respect to make roads safer together. Just a few years earlier, Triny decided to get back into shape after gaining weight during multiple pregnancies, and changed the course of her life.  She met her husband, Nigel, in a race; she progressed to being a high-performing age group triathlete with a goal of qualifying for the IRONMAN Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii.  On the cusp of achieving her goal, she was nearly killed by a speeding driver while she was training on her bike. Her story was already inspirational, but now Triny had only 5-months to recover from immobility in her hospital bed to race in Kona as the representative of Women for Tri.  With her signature determination, Triny achieved her dream of racing in Kona. With this experience, her passion for bike safety led Triny to found, ItCouldBeMe, a non-profit working to improve road safety for cyclists. To find out more, please visit us at www.itcouldbeme.orgTo join us as an ambassador:https://www.itcouldbeme.org/ambassador-program/Coeursports:https://www.coeursports.com/collections/new-arrivalsNewton Running:https://www.newtonrunning.comHeadsweats:https://www.headsweats.com/collections/it-could-be-meRudy Project:https://www.rudyprojectna.com/Bicycle Coloradohttps://www.bicyclecolorado.org/Rachel Joyce and Dana Platin workshops :http://www.thewarmiproject.com/reinasCycliq Upride :https://upride.cc/Secretary of Transportation- Pete Buttigieghttps://www.transportation.gov/office-of-secretary Articles: https://303triathlon.com/tag/triny-willerton/ https://www.coeursports.com/blogs/latest/it-could-be-me

Our talk today will be about the nonprofit LoveYourBrain.   I wish everyone, and especially cyclists, knew about LoveYourBrain and its fantastic support of the traumatic brain injured…but they don’t…at least not yet.  While I had heard of LoveYourBrain through a friend of mine who was hit by a car while riding his bike in the mountains of Colorado, I didn’t really understand how important it was until now. Resilience won’t make your problems go away … but resilience will help you see past your problems, find enjoyment in life and handle the stresses of life. About LoveYourBrain: LoveYourBrain (LYB) is a non-profit that improves the quality of life of people affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and raises awareness about the importance of brain health. LYB’s evidence-based programs and resources are designed to create community, foster resilience, and help people understand the importance of loving your brain. Guided by their family’s experience, brothers Kevin and Adam Pearce established LYB following Kevin’s severe TBI from a snowboarding accident prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Kevin’s remarkable resilience was documented and transformed into the award winning HBO Documentary, “The Crash Reel,” which brought to light the experience of TBIs. Why this matters Isolation, unemployment, failed relationships, and suicidal ideation is reality for the brain injured. And since brain injury is often invisible, affected people are misunderstood and often poorly served by the standard medical system. LoveYourBrain website: https://www.loveyourbrain.com/ For today’s podcast, I am joined by 3 people who have had deep personal connection to brain injury as well as to LoveYourBrain.   We’re going to hear about their journeys, AND the story of LoveYourBrain, we will also find out how any of us can benefit from the resources provided by LoveYourBrain should we need it, and how we can help the LoveYourBrain team to continue doing their good works. My guests today are: Adam Pearce, who is the co-Founder and Executive Director of LoveYourBrain.  David Adler, who is a business leader and an avid cyclists and skier.  In 2013, he was hit by a car while riding his bike….leaving him with more than 20 broken bones, two collapsed lungs and a TBI.  Brett Tivers who is a high school sports coordinator and teacher now in New Zealand, but was a professional cyclist, and winner of the 2011 Tour of Battenkill in NY. In 2012, while racing in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Brett crashed at 38 mph and was knocked unconscious, resulting in a brain injury which ended his professional cycling career. Virtual Ride for Resilience info: Landing page link: https://www.loveyourbrain.com/ride-for-resilience Participant Guide link: https://my.visme.co/view/epdnp44x-loveyourbrain-ride-for-resilience-toolkit#s1 Sign up/fundraising link: https://www.classy.org/event/virtual-ride-for-resilience/e325437 Brain Injury Stats More TBIs occur while cycling than in footballFrom all causes, over 3 million traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur in the US and Canada each yearApproximately 70,000 people every year experience long-term disability from TBITBI is complex and leads to whole person challenges (physical, emotional, cognitive)For concussions (mild TBI), one year after injury, 10-15% of patients have not recovered Adam Pearce Adam co-founded LoveYourBrain alongside Kevin and now serves as the Executive Director. Through his vision, LoveYourBrain endeavors to help all people understand what it means to truly love their brain. Adam also served as the co-producer and co-videographer of the HBO documentary “The Crash Reel.” The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and was short listed for a 2014 Academy Award. Brett Tivers Brett is a New Zealander and was a professional cyclist. In 2012 Brett crashed while racing in the U.S and sustained a TBI.  He got a secondary concussion while teaching Physical Education in New Zealand in 2013.   After attending a LoveYourBrain retreat in 2019, Brett has incorporated the teachings from the retreat into his everyday life. Assistant Sports Co-ordinator, Teacher and Road Cycling Coach at Palmerston North Girls High School in New ZealandWork with high performance athletes/students in the school that represent New Zealand in a number of sports.https://www.loveyourbrain.com/blog/community-story/findingmypathintomindfulnesswalks https://cyclingtips.com/2011/04/tour-of-battenkill-americas-queen-of-the-classics/ https://cyclingtips.com/2014/04/cycling-and-concussion-is-it-time-to-stop-ignoring-the-dangers/ David Adler David has been a successful sales executive in the footwear industry for over 25 years due to his deep understanding of the wants and desires of consumers. He is an avid cyclist and skier who has used those passions to raise money and attention for causes he cares about. He has raised thousands of dollars for the National MS Society through fundraising and cycling in charity rides.  In 2013, he was in a devastating cycling/car accident that left him with many broken bones and a TBI. “The Crash Reel” film helped David open a dialogue about his own TBI and reach out to help others affected by brain injury.  In 2017, he co-created the first Love Your Brain event in Hermosa Beach, where he lives with his wife, Carol and two teenagers. Managing Director at Asymmetric Return Capital in Hermosa Beach, CaliforniaOn the BUCKIT podcast with Phil Keoghan (Co-Gan):  https://youtu.be/8N0jGt4NRvs What is resilience? https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/resilience-training/in-depth/resilience/art-20046311

The Warm Up for the Older Athlete– by Glen Winkel When I first started bike racing 40 years ago, I didn’t know anything about the warmup, stretching, etc. Sometimes, I would literally jump out of my car, pin my numbers on and hit the start line. And then drill it from the start! Nowadays, I am much more methodical in my warmup and I want to share with you what I have learned and tie in the cardiovascular and muscular aspect of it all. But now I have to warmup to keep from getting injured and to wake up my body so I can perform well. So, how do I do it? First question I ask: Will you be going full speed from the gun? For a time trial, since the clock is running from the final countdown till you cross the finish line, you have to get to your maximum speed and stay there the whole time, so the answer would be “YES”! What about a Criterium, Road Race, Gran Fondo, Hill Climb, Track race (points race, pursuit, sprints) or gravel ride, cycle cross or mountain bike race? For some of these, you might answer that depends. For example, let’s take the Morgal Bismark RR. “Normally” it starts off pretty leisurely (for masters) and we mosey over to the bottom of the wall, and then all hell breaks loose! Or some criteriums, start off fairly easy as everyone gets oriented and then someone attacks after the 2nd, 3rd or 4th lap into the race. Or sometimes, the race goes from the gun, so in that case you better be ready to go! The mountain bike races I have done, the start is a full on sprint till the single track and then it settles down somewhat. Often, you will make the decision before hand and you’ll get it wrong… therefore if doing well in an event is important to you, it would be prudent to be fully prepared to go hard at the start. With that concept in mind, let’s get you ready to go, so no matter how the race starts from the gun, whether it starts off leisurely or like a field sprint you will be ready. Now the next question you must be able to answer is: What type of riding will I be doing in this race? Steady state Time Trial effort, hill climb, road race with hills, criterium with large bursts of power plus lots of short intervals. Once you have answered this question, you now know what type of riding you are preparing for. Let me describe what I do and why. You may have your own warmup method that works great for you and you may want to stick to that. Or you might want to try out my method instead of what you are accustomed to or you might want to pick and choose those aspects to add to what you are already doing. Each cyclist has their own tried and true method of warmup. My hope is that you learn another method of warming up and if your results are not what you want them to be, perhaps due to a poor warmup, then try to incorporate some of these suggestions and see if it makes a difference. If you find that it’s beneficial, then make it a part of your regular program. TimingI now have a rule of thumb about when I arrive at races. I like to have a minimum of 1.5 hours to get warmed up. Which means that I have to arrive at the race venue 2 hours before my race starts to get my race number, find the porta-potties, get the bike ready, put my gear on and start my warmup. This wasn’t true years ago when I was younger, but now it’s a general rule. You may find this a bit extreme, but then perhaps you are not over age 65 either, so plan your warm up time accordingly. So assuming I have 1.5 hours to warmup. There are 6 phases to my warmup: These are 1) general warmup, 2) stretching 3) warmup ramp, 4) cardiovascular 5) muscles 6) Final warmup General warmup (1)Basically, I get on my trainer and I just turn the pedals. You might see me in my sneakers (I often don’t wear my cycling shoes during this phase). This is because I don’t need them. For this phase, I am only getting the blood starting to flow, loosening up the legs from the drive, warming up the muscles and getting them ready for the next phase which is stretching. Power wise, I am only doing 50-80/100 watts. Looking for a warming up of the heart, heart rate and getting the muscles slightly warm. You’ll often see me doing upper body twists, swinging my arms, rolling my neck and beginning to get my body loosened up in general.This phase may go for ½ hour depending upon how tight I am from the drive. Stretching (2)I NEVER used to stretch before bike races! NEVER! Now if I don’t stretch, I pay a heavy price. Perhaps it was all those years NOT stretching that requires me to stretch to make up for it. Looking back, I wonder how much better I might have performed had I stretched my muscles before racing like I do now. Alas, I may never know… Now to address this controversy before it gets started…there are some that say we should never stretch the muscles before an event, since it elongates the muscle fiber and reduces the power it can generate. For me, IF I don’t stretch BAD things happen. I pull muscles, my back hurts, my knee hurts, my foot hurts, my shoulders get sore, my legs cramp up and all sorts of other things. Many times at the start line, I am in pain before the race starts as I didn’t have time to stretch! My back is just killing me! Rather than go through all the stretches I now do (this will likely be a whole Training Tips in the future) I will cover the generalities so you can add in your trouble spots. Once my muscles are warm from the early general warmup, I get out a yoga mat and a stretch strap and roller. I basically due an active stretch with the strap of my hamstrings, while stretching my neck with the roller. Then I roll out my upper and lower back focusing upon my QL (quadratus lumborum).I roll out my gluteals, IT band, calves, hamstrings, sometime my adductors. Then I roll over and roll out my abs, psoas and quads. This whole process takes about 15-30 minutes depending upon how tight I am and how my muscles feel. Warmup ramp (3a)Now I get back on the trainer, and I usually have 1hr to 45 minutes for these next few sections.So I need to ramp up my power into my FTP and beyond levels. I do this in stages. I do have my cycling shoes on now and where earlier I was at 50-80 watts power, now I start riding gradually increasing my power into the 150 watts to 200 watt range. Rather than just cranking out 150 watts, I ramp up to 150 watts in stages. First cycling into the 150-200 watt range for just a few seconds. Maybe 5 to 15 seconds. Then I bring it back down, then ramp it back up again, giving my body time to recover just a little bit. The goal is to give my muscles time to open up and let the blood in. If you have ever gone hard from the gun, you know when you first apply the power, the muscles seem starved for oxygen and feel tight. This is what you want to avoid. You want the muscles opened up so they will not feel starved when the pace goes hard from the gun. Cardiovascular warmup (3b)Once I have my power up to the 200 watt range, I want to get my cardiovascular system up to speed. I do this by trying to hit my maximum rpm on the bike in a lighter gear. For example I may use my small chainring and try to hit 150 rpm. This isn’t hard on the muscles, but you’ll notice how hard you are breathing. Do an acceleration into 150 rpm and hold for about 5 to 10 seconds. Then a recovery period of 1-2 minutes. Do about 5 of these with near full recovery in between. I’m not concerned about power, more about rpm. When I am at my 150rpm level my wattage tends to be in the 500 to 700 watt range, so you don’t want to use a big gear, just a large enough gear than you have some resistance. You can often attain a heart rate close to your maxHR. You want to get the heart near its max HR, so the cardiac muscle is ready to go and the blood vessels which supply the heart are delivering a good blood/oxygen supply. You don’t want to go ischemic at the start of a race! This gets the heart and respiratory system ready for a maximum effort. Muscular warmup (4)In this section of your warmup, your goal is to get your muscles doing the “heavy work”. This places a high load on the muscles (lower rpm, higher gear) so they are accustomed to the higher workload. For example you might put it in the large chainring, perhaps your 15-12 tooth rear cog and gradually increase the rpm until you can’t increase the speed any more. Then give yourself a brief recovery period and try it again. You can throw in one of the high rpm spins from the above just to mix it up. I normally do 3 to 5 of these high gear ramps until I am ready for the final phase of the muscular warmup. So your cardiovascular/respiratory system is all set. Your muscles are ready for the workload. This final bit puts it all together. For a time trial, you put the bike in the gear you will race in, and accelerate to the rpm you will be time trialing at with the power setting you are trying to achieve. Let’s say you are aiming for 300 watts for your time trial. Choose your gear and then do a 300 watt effort first for 15 seconds, taper down, slight recovery, then 30 seconds, then slight recovery (till your HR starts to come down, it may take 1 min to 5 min depending upon your fitness level). Eventually you want to be able to maintain your TT power setting for about 1 to 2 minutes. Do this twice with about 5 to 10 min before your actual start time. You’ll have a brief 5-10 min recovery, but your body will be physically ready to go and you will be mentally ready for what lies ahead, knowing that you are fully warmed up and ready to go.

I am joined today by Patrick Bohan, the author of “How a Neurological Disorder Changed My Life for the Better.”  Patrick is a writer and an avid cyclist who has won state and national championships despite being afflicted by two neurological disorders. While it’s true that Patrick has two neurological disorders, but they do not have him.  Listen in as Patrick explains how his outlook on life and a simple philosophy of always overachieving allows him to do more than seems possible. His story is amazing.  We all can learn from his example in not making excuses, never feeling sorry for himself, and never giving up.  When you look up the word “Grit” in the dictionary, you should see a photo of Patrick standing atop a podium after he has beaten completely healthy, very strong cyclists in state and national level time trial events. Patrick lives by the philosophy of over achieving in whatever he does, and the results speak for themselves. Patrick suffers from the neurological disorder, multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) from which there is no cure. MMN is marked by muscle atrophy, difficulty walking or lifting items, cramping, muscle twitching and muscle spasms, muscle tightness and discomfort, lack of mobility in the affected muscles, loss of Achilles reflex. And if that wasn’t enough, Patrick also suffers from cramp fasciculation syndrome (CFS) and Peripheral Nerve Hyper-excitation (PNH) … a major symptom of which is paresthesia (par-uhs-thee-zhuh) in hands and feet, cold hands and feet, numbness in all affected muscles, stabbing pains, buzzing sensations among other annoyances.  As a result of his medical conditions, Patrick is required to spend 14 or 15 hours a day laying down in discomfort and fatigue. We all can learn from his example in not making excuses, never feeling sorry for himself, and never giving up.  Patrick’s Bio I am an engineer by trade and avid cyclist who has won state and national championships despite being inflicted with two neurological disorders. Currently, my diagnosis is both cramp fasciculation syndrome (CFS) and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), but the diagnosis can change since my disorder does not fit into any one bucket of disorders. I am the author of several books including the Adventures of a Bike and his Boy. I enjoy the outdoors and love living in Colorado. It is possible to improve athletically over the age of 50 with a debilitating neurological condition. Furthermore, improvement may come in the absence of athletic genes (or slightly favorable). I achieved athletic success with a debilitating neurological condition for four reasons. First, training techniques can alter muscle protein composition overcoming physical limitations. Second, training can teach the body to bypass diseased cells by creating alternate neural pathways for the brain and muscles to communicate. Third, cycling is the great equalizer in sports. What I mean by this is that cycling is a sport that enables older individuals and people with disabilities to remain fast and competitive. Finally, disease influences personality traits such as resiliency, grit, and mental toughness to overcome physical limitations such as pain. Patrick’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.bohan.9 Patrick’s book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Neurological-Disorder-Changed-Life-Better/dp/B08WK51VNB/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=patrick+bohan&qid=1617135941&sr=8-1 Patrick’s children’s book: https://www.amazon.com/ADVENTURES-BIKE-HIS-BOY-Castle/dp/B08VFJ5YJL/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=patrick+bohan&qid=1617135964&sr=8-2

Your body has adapted to sitting in a chair. Learn how to become strong again for life, and how to capture more power on the bike. Oh yeah, and eliminate back pain. What do masters cyclists have in common with professional cyclists? Did you hear about the study of 116 professional cyclists to see who had back pain? 58% had experienced lower back pain in the previous 12 months. 41% had sought medical attention for back pain. Unfortunately, even if you are not a professional cyclist sitting on your bicycle for 20 or more hours a week, you ARE sitting in a chair and/or a bike for 50, 60 or more hours a week, and year after year. After so many years of sitting, our bodies have adapted to the sitting position, making us older athletes susceptible to injury and pain, and making us weaker on the bike and in life. There is no time like the present to get the wheels of progress working in the right direction. A cyclist with a healthy back is a strong cyclists. I am joined today by Doug Hanna, President of Physical Therapy of Boulder (ptofboulder.com), the largest private practice in Boulder County.  Doug brings over 30 years of clinical experience to his clients as well as a deep education in the field. Doug received a Bachelor of Science degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Graduate Certificate in Physical Therapy from the Mayo School and Health Related Sciences in Rochester, Minnesota. Doug later completed Certification in Competency in Manual Therapy from the Institute of Graduate Health Sciences and a post-professional Masters of Science degree from the University of St. Augustine in Saint Augustine, Florida. Doug can relate to the masters athlete because he is one.  Doug rides and competes in gravel cycling, MTB, and bike pack races. Doug knows well the subject of back pain for cyclists.  Listen in as Doug talks about why our backs hurt and what we can do to have a healthier and stronger spine. Link to Wise Athletes podcast website: www.wiseathletes.com Here are the two episodes mentioned in this episode: Dealing with Pain with Charlie Merrill: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/athlete-pain-is-real-but-not-what-you-think/ Bike Fit Case Study with Natalie Collins: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/12-physical-therapist-bike-fitter-stop-pain-boost-power-a-case-study/

Glen and I are joined today by Lauren Costantini.   Lauren has a PhD in Neuroscience, was CEO of a wearable sensors company, has been a nationally-ranked professional bike racer (including a bronze at Worlds), and now own 3 businesses: a biotech consulting firm (LCC Consulting, LLC), an adventure tour guide company (P.E.D.A.L. Adventures), and a nutrition and wellness coaching company (Confluence).   http://www.confluencecoach.com/ https://pedal-mtb.com/ Lauren is still riding hard despite a challenging surgery in 2019.  As a scientist, Lauren was able to investigate the available research to find the optimal diet for rapidly returning to an elite level after her back surgery.  What she found was not only a diet that helped her recover, but also helped her to be stronger than ever! Listen in as Lauren describes her investigation and personal experience in find the best diet for her athletic performance and longevity. A bit more about Lauren: Lauren has been known to ‘Take the Leap’ many times in her life. Her circuitous path started as a singer and dancer in New York, followed by a PhD in Neuroscience, and was on faculty at Harvard Medical School developing treatment for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. She moved to San Francisco to climb the corporate ladder, then headed to Boulder where she became the CEO of a wearable sensors company. She was a nationally-ranked professional bike racer, winning the bronze medal at the Masters World Championships, and often pondered how to make cycling part of her career.After 5 years as CEO, and realizing the top of the career ladder was not as fulfilling as expected, she resigned her position, got a sprinter van, traveled the country solo for 4 months, and hatched P.E.D.A.L. Mountain Bike Adventures, which quickly because as successful as it was fulfilling. After facing back fusion surgery last year, she spent 3 solid months researching scientific peer-reviewed journals to identify the best foods to enhance her recovery. She did not realize that her findings would not only provide a miraculous recovery from surgery, but also elevate her performance after her recovery. With changes in her nutrition, fine-tuning her strength work, and focusing her mindset, she became stronger on the bike and trails, leaner and more defined in body composition, found unlimited energy, and overcame her troubled sleeping. She’s literally turned back the clock. Lauren’s entrepreneurial spirit told her it was time to take another leap: she has just launched Confluence, a nutrition and wellness coaching company where she takes her science and human performance expertise, and cuts through the media hype to identify what works and what doesn’t.  She is constantly studying the latest research in nutrition, exercise, sleep, and body-mind connection, and provides her clients with a personalized step-wise approach to reach peak performance and vitality.  Her TedXTalk describes her passion: our bodies are constantly radiating data, and Lauren believes that through accessing that data, we can elevate ourselves to our highest potential.

Glen and I are joined today by Rob Andrew and Joseph Vigil of Cyclists 4 Community.  C4C was founded only 7 years ago; how C4C has accomplished so much in such a short time is a fascinating story of camaraderie and generosity and determination to make cycling safer on the roads of Boulder county.   If you are in the Boulder County area, you have to hear Rob and Joseph tell the C4C story.  If you live in another city or state and want to make your community better for cyclists, you also need to hear this.  Maybe you’ve heard of Wednesday Morning Velo? Listen in to hear the whole amazing story. Rob AndrewOne of the founders of C4C along with Russ Chandler.  By day a corporate insurance guy: partner at Lockton Companies.  Early morning or after work, tooling around Boulder on Road, Gravel and MTB.  Racing masters for the Full Cycle FCX team.   Also one of the organizers of WMV the pre-eminent cycling/business networking ride in Boulder Joseph Vigil Joined the C4C Board in 2015 after being super impressed with the great work and effort done for the communities of Jamestown and Lyons, where he went to high school. Joseph stepped up to become the C4C Board President 2019, and then has stayed on through 2020-2021 when the president elect for this term had to step down for family reasons. He is an architect and founder of WORKSHOP8 in Boulder, and rides his bike as much as he can, before, during and after. He joined the Wholesome Masters Racing team in 2018 at the behest of Rob Andrew, who then left and joined Full Cycle. Home Cyclists 4 Community Home Wednesday Morning Velo Outline of Discussion: Wednesday Morning Velo – started 20 years ago as the Bankers Ride.  Evolved and grew over time: today would get up to 200 riders on some summer mornings.  Pandemic has put a halt to that for a short time.  Now have 4+ rides each week, moto medics, sponsorships, kits every 2 years, coffee and snacks after each ride.  Annual budget close to $20,000Cyclists 4 Community – started in 2013 after the floods.  Looked for a way to give back to the communities most impacted and build a better relationship between cyclist and drivers in those communities.  Cyclists 4 Jamestown was the beginning raising over $250,000 to help solve big problems there and in Lyons.  Both locations were staples of the WMV routes we commonly road on.  Other notes:Incorporated in 2016 501c3 non profitBig event: Crank-it-Forward started in 2017Hired 1st Becca Blay and next Matt Muir as staffWorked with Boulder County extensively on rebuild of LHC, James Canyon, and 4 mile to be re-build bike friendlyPortable sign on 36 every springSignage around Boulder county (3 feet law, cross yellow line)Lights on bikesLights at key intersectionBicycle Friendly Driver Education program developed – now working with Bicycle Colorado  and potentially nationalPorta potty in JamestownC4C today: Very engaged board and staff working on making Boulder County safer for cyclists and for better relationships with all users.Boulder to Lyons bike way study (LyBo)Matching Fundraiser going on right nowCrank-it-Forward Oct. 1 at the JCCMay bike Auction – fundraiser and virtual eventSt Vrain road workJeffco to Boulder bikeway discussions

The perfect nutrition plan is so simple that there are obviously no oversights, not so complex that there are no obvious oversights. (borrowed from Tony Hoare). Today we’ll focus on considerations for how to use nutrition to improve the older athlete’s ability to recover from exercise. The nutritional knowledge we discuss will be useful to any athlete on any diet.  But still, each of us has to make our own trade-off decisions.  Recovering faster and getting stronger is not all we want in life.  Some of you may decide that you’d rather enjoy what you are currently eating and drinking instead of improving your athletic performance or even your longevity.  So be it.  At least you can make an informed decision. Nutritional topics impacting recovery  Recovery from exercised induced damage:  refueling, repairing damage, reducing chronic inflammation Keeping / building muscle mass:  eating enough protein (leucine), hormone support, sarcopenia Nutrition has been described as a pseudoscience masquerading as a religion.  So much new information and interpretations and conspiracy theories come out that people don’t know what to do except stay out of it or choose sides.  I’ve done it myself more than once.  EC’s perspective is refreshingly simple.  She doesn’t advocate for extremes or even for any particular diet.  EC’s advice is to keep it simple when it comes to choosing a formula for choosing what to eat and how much.  Don’t make a list of 1000 rules of things to avoid and do.  Instead, EC approach to focus on what matters the most, and then fine tune as you get closer to your personalized diet that best fits your goals and lifestyle. As John Von Neuman said, “There’s no sense in being precise when you don’t even know what you’re talking about.” EC SynkowskiOptimizeMe Nutrition | Home of the #800gChallenge®M.S., Nutrition & Functional MedicineCertified CrossFit Level 4 Coach EC Synkowski EC Synkowski runs OptimizeMe Nutrition, a company dedicated to making nutrition easy through digital education products and corporate wellness programs. The mission of OptimizeMe Nutrition is to provide solutions to improve weight, health, and overall well being through sustainable diet methods. Thousands have used her #800gChallenge®, a diet free of restrictive rules, to eat healthily and have reported weight loss, increased energy, and improved performance! She has extensive education in the life sciences with a BS in biochemical engineering, a first MS in environmental sciences (with a focus in genetics), and second MS in Nutrition & Functional Medicine. EC holds the Certified CrossFit Level 4 Coach (CF-L4) credential. Her professional experience includes working as a Program Manager for CrossFit Inc (2011-2017) authoring their training course materials and serving as a subject matter expert for their certifications. She has accumulated more than 600 hours of public speaking teaching fitness and nutrition all over the world, including at TEDx (Boulder). With more than 20 years of experience and academic training, EC seamlessly translates the evidence-based scientific data into practical solutions for everyday success. This: End Your Nutrition Confusion – Learn My 10 Principles of Nutrition – https://optimizemenutrition.com/2019/11/17/end-your-nutrition-confusion-learn-my-10-principles-of-nutrition/ And This: Nutrition Essentials Masterclass – https://optimizemenutrition.com/masterclass-waitlist/

Glen and I are joined today by Rich Voss of Voss on Track Coaching.  Rich is a highly accomplished track cycling racer and coach.  Rich is a 5x masters world champion, 14x masters national champion, and he has coached 5 masters world champions plus many masters national champions.  And, Rich has set 5 masters world records over the years.  Yeah, Rich knows power:  how to train with power, how to build and recruit fast-twitch muscle fibers, how to get the most out of what you got from “mom and dad”.  But that’s not all, Rich is a master at athletic longevity….knowing how to stay in the athletic game for a long time by focusing on camaraderie and health as the basis for long-term high performance and enthusiasm for sports.  Be sure to listen to the entire episode as Rich offers his best advice for improving your sprint near the end of our talk.  It is definitely worth your time. In our talk with Rich, we discuss the following topics (in order): GeneticsMuscle Fiber trainabilityVO2 Max trainingGoals vs. interestsTime managementGym workRecoveryBuilding a better sprint, even if you are not a sprinter.Camaraderie I think you’ll find it interesting, and you might even pick-up a few tricks for getting stronger on the bike. You can find Rich and the Hammer Racing Team at: http://hammerracing.club/

Glen and I are joined once again by Jeff Winkler of Winkler Cycling (winklercycling.com) in Boulder, Colorado.  You’ll recall that Jeff is a Category 1 USAC coach who has over 30 years of experience in bicycle racing.  He started racing as a junior athlete and rose up through the ranks to become a professional cyclist racing in the U.S. and Europe.  As a coach,  Jeff has worked with racers in road, track, cyclocross and mountain bike disciplines, working with novice to professional athletes.    I thought it would be easy to come up with a list of common mistakes made by masters athletes, but I was wrong.  “Mistakes” per se are contextual, and masters athletes in particular have a wide variety of goals.  We settled on discussing a set of areas where mistakes are easy to make for masters athletes in particular as a result of aging or health issues that seem to arise or become more prominent as we get older.  In general, I think it is safe to say that we are speaking to masters athletes who fall into a range defined as:   At one end is the masters racer, who is emphasizing athletic performance but is also interested in not undermining health and wellness.At the other end is the masters athlete who is emphasizing health and wellness but also interesting in getting better / stronger / faster in his or her sport, and improving over time or limiting losses that may be unavoidable due to aging or shrinking time allocated to athletics. Health issues that tend to appear later in life due to aging: Sleep issues/ recovery slowing / more aches and painsIncreasing body fat – slowing metabolism (drives a desire to burn calories)Emerging general health issues:  cardiovascular issues, metabolic (diabetes), brain health, joint health, cancerDecreasing testosterone, muscle mass…this becomes a serious issue eventually.  The lost muscle mass is mostly fast-twitch fibersDropping VO2 max….decreasing max heart rate, 10% per decade after 30 (can lower to 5% with exercise)Decreasing elasticity in connective tissue:  getting stiffer and less flexibleWorsening posture and muscle imbalances (stiffness, maybe pain) Other issues that emerge over time: Doing the same thing year after year – a loss of novelty & fun…losing the passionEgo caught up in athletic performance – a loss of fun as performance declines…More time constraints; limited time for exercise or less willing to spend as much time . Biggest Mistakes made by Masters Athletes: Not enough high intensity training (vs. endurance, tempo, and threshold)Too much high intensity training (thinking that HIIT is enough)Insufficient cross training (strength, mobility, balance, muscle activation)Buying into the “I’m getting old” story (no longer testing limits, playing it too safe)Not being proactive about recovery and health. You can find Jeff Winkler at https://winklercycling.com/